camfer

What do they actually do

camfer makes a Windows-only plugin for SolidWorks that lets engineers turn plain‑language (and image) instructions into native CAD edits. It’s in an invite‑only beta: users join a waitlist, download the installer when granted access, and run camfer inside SolidWorks to create or modify features directly from text or images camfer download, beta sign-up, homepage.

Beyond generating features, camfer answers natural‑language questions about a model’s feature tree so users don’t have to click through it manually. The team is shipping incremental, practical workflows (e.g., a material‑change action) and expanding the range of CAD‑native operations it can perform, all within SolidWorks homepage, download/changelog, blog.

Who are their target customer(s)

• Mechanical design engineer at a small–midsize company using SolidWorks daily: Frequent small edits and deep feature trees slow work; finding the right sketch/feature breaks flow and wastes time.
• Product/hardware engineer at an early‑stage startup without a dedicated CAD specialist: Simple changes require slow menu navigation or handoffs, delaying prototype iterations and testing.
• Manufacturing/process engineer preparing parts for production: Repeatedly adjusting holes, fillets, tolerances, and materials is manual and error‑prone, raising rework risk on production parts.
• Student or hobbyist learning CAD: Steep, menu‑driven workflows and unclear model structure make basic edits slow and frustrating, hindering learning and prototyping.
• CAD team lead or engineering manager: Inconsistent edits across users and limited auditability extend review cycles and make it hard to ensure quality before release.

How would they acquire their first 10, 50, and 100 customers

• First 10: Invite early adopters from the waitlist and YC network for hands‑on onboarding and screen‑share sessions; manually install the plugin, observe workflows, and remove blockers to produce 1–2 detailed case studies.
• First 50: Run short paid pilots with small engineering teams, makerspaces, and SolidWorks forums; deliver scheduled live demos with a time‑savings checklist, use referral incentives, and publish several concise case studies.
• First 100: Target SMBs and hardware startups via SDR outreach and partnerships with SolidWorks VARs/CAD trainers; scale onboarding with playbooks, in‑app guides, and a small sales‑engineering team to run proof‑of‑value deployments and convert pilots to paid seats.

What is the rough total addressable market

Top-down context:

Near‑term TAM is the SolidWorks installed base—SolidWorks reports “millions” of users and cites >3.24M product designers/engineers using SOLIDWORKS SolidWorks company facts, Dassault press. If camfer expands beyond SolidWorks, it addresses the global CAD/CAD+PLM software market, estimated around $10B–$17B today MRFR, Fortune Business Insights.

Bottom-up calculation:

Start with the SolidWorks installed base as the upper‑bound user pool for a Windows plugin; the serviceable portion is a subset that permits third‑party plugins and has workflow fit (excluding many students/hobbyists and restricted enterprise seats) SolidWorks company facts. As integrations broaden to other CAD tools, the pool grows toward the overall CAD/CAD+PLM market MRFR, Fortune Business Insights.

Assumptions:

• SolidWorks user counts include non‑commercial users; not all are candidates for paid plugins.
• Windows/SolidWorks constraint defines the immediate, realistic user pool until additional CAD/platform support is added.
• Enterprise adoption depends on IT/security policies allowing third‑party plugins and demonstrated reliability on production parts.

Who are some of their notable competitors

• Dassault Systèmes / SOLIDWORKS: SolidWorks and the 3DEXPERIENCE platform are adding AI and generative‑design features natively, giving users automated design assistance without third‑party plugins.
• Autodesk (Fusion 360 / Inventor / Autodesk Assistant): Autodesk is rolling AI copilots and “neural CAD” into Fusion/Inventor, competing with add‑ons by embedding assistance directly in its ecosystem.
• PTC / Onshape AI Advisor: Onshape’s in‑app AI advisor answers model questions and automates repetitive tasks in a cloud CAD environment, appealing to teams that prefer built‑in assistants.
• Zoo.dev (Zoo Design Studio): Startup offering text‑to‑CAD and editable B‑rep generation in its own CAD app, targeting “type an instruction → get parametric geometry” workflows similar to camfer.
• AdamCAD: Emerging text‑to‑CAD tool marketing itself as an AI copilot for rapid prototyping; aims to generate parametric parts from natural language.